Non-aqueous phase hydride generation and determination of trace bismuth by atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Hydride generation (HG) of bismuth was accomplished in non-aqueous media by using solid reductant of potassium borohydride (KBH4) as a derivation reagent. The riched micelle phase of surfactant Triton X-114 was used as the non-aqueous media for the chemical vapor generation (CVG), and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) was used for the elemental determination. The analyte ions were firstly extracted into the non-aqueous media from the bulk aqueous phase of analyte/sample solution via a rapid cloud point extraction (RCPE) process and then directly mixed with the solid reductant KBH4 to generate volatile bismuth hydride in a specially designed reactor, which was then rapidly transported to a commercial atomic fluorescence spectrometer for detection. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) for bismuth was 0.08 μg/L. Compared to conventional HG-AFS, the efficiency of non-aqueous phase HG accomplished using solid reductant and the analytical performance of the developed method was considerably improved.